ASHA or LE Audio: which should I look for?

If you use Android and your hearing aids list ASHA, ASHA is the route that works today on most recent Android phones. Bluetooth LE Audio is the newer Bluetooth SIG standard, built around the LC3 codec, and it is designed to work across both iPhone and Android and to support Auracast broadcast audio. It needs newer hardware on both the phone and the hearing aid. Many current devices list both, and the phone uses whichever it supports.

How do I know if my Android phone supports ASHA?

Look under Settings, then Accessibility or Connected devices, for a hearing aids or hearing devices entry. Android 10 introduced ASHA, but the phone maker also has to enable it on that hardware, so check the specific handset. The hearing aid maker usually publishes a compatible phone list, which is the most reliable check.

What is ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids?

The Android counterpart to MFi, introduced so that compatible hearing aids could receive audio directly from an Android phone without an intermediate streamer around the neck. Whether any particular hearing aid supports it is a manufacturer specification for that model rather than something that follows from the brand, since support changed substantially between device generations.

Which phones support ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids?

On iPhone: not supported. On Android: supported. Where support is described as depending on the device generation, that is because the capability is hardware rather than software, so an older handset running a current operating system version may still lack it.

Do I need this specifically?

Only if you want audio from a phone delivered directly into your hearing aids. Plenty of people never stream at all and use their aids purely for amplification. If you do want it, the route available to you is decided by your hearing aids first and your phone second, in that order.

What is the fallback if this is unavailable?

An intermediate streamer, which receives ordinary Bluetooth from the phone and relays it to the hearing aids on a manufacturer specific short range link. It works with practically any phone and any reasonably recent hearing aid, at the cost of an extra device to carry and charge. It is the reliable answer for older devices.

Will this still work in five years?

The platform specific protocols are expected to converge on Bluetooth LE Audio over time, so anything tied to one platform is the more likely to be superseded. A telecoil is the outlier: it has worked for decades, is independent of any phone ecosystem, and will keep working with induction loops regardless of what happens to Bluetooth.

ASHA hearing aids: Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids on Android

Quick answer

ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids) is Google's Android protocol for streaming phone calls, music and other audio straight into compatible hearing aids, with no streamer around the neck. It needs Android 10 or later on a phone that supports it and hearing aids that support it too. It does not work on iPhone, where the equivalent is Made for iPhone (MFi). Newer hearing aids are adding Bluetooth LE Audio, the cross-platform standard both phone makers are moving to.

Related equipment Premium OTC hearing aids

Jabra Enhance

Jabra Enhance Select 700

FDA regulated OTC hearing aid

$1,000+

A receiver in ear device sold as a package with remote audiology support rather than as hardware alone, which is the single clearest difference between this tier and a boxed OTC aid. Jabra publishes Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast support and hands free calling on compatible phones.

Check before buying: The listed price spans a wide range depending on the support package and configuration chosen at checkout. Confirm what level of audiology support is included before ordering, because that inclusion is most of what distinguishes this from a cheaper device.

FDA device class: OTC hearing aid
Fitting method: Remote fitting with audiology support
Labeled for: Perceived mild to moderate loss, adults 18+
Wearing style: Receiver in ear (RIE)
Power source: Rechargeable
Bluetooth: Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast

Check price on Amazon

Jabra Enhance Select 700 published specifications

Prices change often. Every figure shown is the manufacturer's own published specification, and the labelling on the device you receive is what governs.

What ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids is

The Android counterpart to MFi, introduced so that compatible hearing aids could receive audio directly from an Android phone without an intermediate streamer around the neck.

Published figure From a named standards body, regulator or professional classification. Reproduced here, not derived by us.

iPhone: Not supported. Android: Supported.

ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids by platform
Platform	Support	Detail
iPhone	Not supported	Not supported. ASHA is an Android protocol; on an iPhone the equivalent is MFi.
Android	Supported	Supported on Android 10 and later with compatible hardware. Both the phone and the hearing aid have to support it, and phone support has been uneven across manufacturers, so it is worth checking the specific handset rather than the Android version alone.

This describes the protocol and the platform. Whether a particular hearing aid supports it is a specification published by its manufacturer for that model.

How it compares with the other routes

Published figure From a named standards body, regulator or professional classification. Reproduced here, not derived by us.

Six routes, with very different requirements and very different lifespans.

Every streaming route
Route	iPhone	Android
Made for iPhone (MFi)	Supported	Not supported
ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids	Not supported	Supported
Bluetooth LE Audio	Depends on the device generation	Depends on the device generation
Auracast broadcast audio	Depends on the device generation	Depends on the device generation
Telecoil, the T setting	Not applicable, it works without a phone	Not applicable, it works without a phone
Classic Bluetooth with an intermediate streamer	Supported	Supported

A telecoil is marked as not applicable rather than unsupported, because it works without a phone at all, which is precisely why it outlives every other option here.

Sources

Android Open Source Project, Hearing aid audio support using Bluetooth LE (the ASHA specification), source.android.com.
Bluetooth SIG, LE Audio and Auracast specifications, bluetooth.com.
Hearing aid compatibility is a per-model manufacturer specification; check the maker's compatible phone list.

Researched from published specifications, not professional advice.

Common questions

ASHA or LE Audio: which should I look for?: If you use Android and your hearing aids list ASHA, ASHA is the route that works today on most recent Android phones. Bluetooth LE Audio is the newer Bluetooth SIG standard, built around the LC3 codec, and it is designed to work across both iPhone and Android and to support Auracast broadcast audio. It needs newer hardware on both the phone and the hearing aid. Many current devices list both, and the phone uses whichever it supports.
How do I know if my Android phone supports ASHA?: Look under Settings, then Accessibility or Connected devices, for a hearing aids or hearing devices entry. Android 10 introduced ASHA, but the phone maker also has to enable it on that hardware, so check the specific handset. The hearing aid maker usually publishes a compatible phone list, which is the most reliable check.
What is ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids?: The Android counterpart to MFi, introduced so that compatible hearing aids could receive audio directly from an Android phone without an intermediate streamer around the neck. Whether any particular hearing aid supports it is a manufacturer specification for that model rather than something that follows from the brand, since support changed substantially between device generations.
Which phones support ASHA, Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids?: On iPhone: not supported. On Android: supported. Where support is described as depending on the device generation, that is because the capability is hardware rather than software, so an older handset running a current operating system version may still lack it.
Do I need this specifically?: Only if you want audio from a phone delivered directly into your hearing aids. Plenty of people never stream at all and use their aids purely for amplification. If you do want it, the route available to you is decided by your hearing aids first and your phone second, in that order.
What is the fallback if this is unavailable?: An intermediate streamer, which receives ordinary Bluetooth from the phone and relays it to the hearing aids on a manufacturer specific short range link. It works with practically any phone and any reasonably recent hearing aid, at the cost of an extra device to carry and charge. It is the reliable answer for older devices.
Will this still work in five years?: The platform specific protocols are expected to converge on Bluetooth LE Audio over time, so anything tied to one platform is the more likely to be superseded. A telecoil is the outlier: it has worked for decades, is independent of any phone ecosystem, and will keep working with induction loops regardless of what happens to Bluetooth.

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Last updated 2026-10-07.